Otherwise known as the Fifth Beatle, Sir George Martin produced every one of the Beatles’ albums except their last, Let it Be (1970). Having worked closely with the Fab Four for so many years, it should come as no surprise that the English pop-culture knight has amassed scores of outtakes, unreleased recordings, and master tapes from the Beatles’ sessions at Abbey Road Studios. Pairing rare highlights with ubiquitous Beatles tunes, Sir George and his son Giles Martin have put together a sonic odyssey that serves as the musical backdrop for Cirque du Soleil‘s mesmerizing tribute to the Beatles: Love.
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1. Brace yourselves, muggles: The first trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has landed online. Watch it here, and if you like what you see, mark your calenders for July 15th, when the final installment of the Potter franchise lands in theaters.
2. Last night at a benefit for the Academy of American Poets in honor of National Poetry Month, Alec Baldwin did a recital of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Annabel Lee,” that brought Patti Smith to tears. [OMG via Jezebel]
3. Cirque du Soleil is planning to recreate Michael Jackson‘s Neverland Ranch at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. They’ll also be launching the most expensive show in the company’s history, “Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour,” in October. [via AP]
4. Fans of The Office can watch three short preview clips of tonight’s farewell to Michael Scott (Steve Carell) here. Our favorite is his final meeting with the Party Planning Committee.
5. The Mighty Boosh’s Noel Fielding — who previously did a hilarious parody of Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” on the BBC’s Let’s Dance for Comic Relief — stars in her new self-directed music video for “Deeper Understanding” alongside of Robbie Coltrane. [via NME]
Bonus link: Read a 14-year-old Stephen King’s endearingly creepy short story pitch
Given that Tim Robbins founded the Actors Gang in response to a lack of opportunities for independent writers and actors to produce socially and politically salient new work, it’s no surprise that his response to the threat of a paralyzing budget crunch was to curate an ambitious ten-week festival of theatre, dance, music, conversation, performance, and education. The WTF?! Festival brings together scores of voices as diverse as those of Tom Morello, Naomi Klein, Gore Vidal, John Doe, Sarah Silverman, anti-war Veterans, and members of Cirque du Soleil — all in the name of saving one of the country’s bravest voices for progressive art by raising not only money, but awareness.
Flavorpill’s Shana Nys Dambrot caught up with Robbins on the eve of the LA festival to talk politics, art, and record collections. Read More »
1. There’s an update from Alia Shawkat on the Arrested Development movie. [via Movieline]
2. This not an Onion story: “Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque du Soleil, rocketed into space today for a nine-day stay aboard the International Space Station, where he will lead a performance next week to raise awareness of water scarcity.” [via Bloomberg]
3. Seth Green and the “Robot Chicken” gang are bringing an animated project to FOX. [via THR]
4. There’s a new trailer for Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox that looks much better than the previous one. [via Collider]
5. Listen to a track from One Fast Move or I’m Gone, the Kerouac-inspired album from Sun Volt’s Jay Farrar and Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard. [via NPR]
And the award for grossest lede goes to: “Here is one thing you probably do not know about Jared Leto: He is a hugger.” [via MTV News]
Game on, Gates: Microsoft is going to take down the iPhone. Or at least they plan to try. [via WSJ]
Scarier than Nuclear Wintour: Not a chance. But still, the Viscountess of Vogue is a fashion force to be reckoned with. [via NYO]
The new Tonight Show logo: Would you want it on a tee? Or a mug? Yeah, we didn’t think so. [via TV Squad]
Your mom will be happy: Cirque du Soleil will bring a new show to the Beacon Theater next year; they also plan to do something at Radio City Music Hall to trick tourists looking for the Rockettes. [via NYT]
The worst sequel ever?: What do we like even less than Shia LaBouf in Indiana Jones? Shia Lebouf playing a greedy Wall Street trader. [via EW]
Mahmoud Ahmandinejad is a total copycat: And apparently a rhymer as well. Yes We Can Iran. [via Guardian]
Bonus link: Dickensurl.com
